TheDC Morning: Standing by his Menendez

1.) Standing by his Menendez— Bob Menendez is under siege for allegedly frequenting underage prostitutes abroad. But Harry Reid is standing by his man. The AP reports:

“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he has the ‘utmost confidence’ in fellow Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez and says he has confidence the New Jersey senator ‘did nothing wrong’ in associating with a prominent political donor who appears to be under investigation by the FBI. Reid adds: ‘But that’s what investigations are all about.'”

Well, Reid is right on one thing — that is indeed what investigations are about.

2.) 16 candles — One for every year Joe Biden could be vice president. Seriously, it could happen. TheDC’s Jeff Poor reports:

“Speculation about Hillary Clinton’s political future has followed her exit last week from the U.S. State Department. During this weekend’s broadcast of ‘The Chris Matthews Show,’ one political reporter not only suggested that Clinton could run for president in 2016, but that she could potentially keep Joe Biden on as her running mate. … ‘The two of them are a dream ticket — outside and inside,’ [Time magazine’s Michael Duffy] said. ‘And, of course, the political, you know, fantasy there is, that if they’re elected twice, Joe Biden could be vice president for 16 straight years.'”

No country deserves such punishment. Fortunately, it seems like a highly unlikely scenario.

3.) Rand’s World— Rand Paul is about to make a major foreign policy speech, laying out his foreign policy vision. TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein has 10 questions he thinks the libertarian Republican senator ought to answer to help elucidate his foreign policy outlook. Questions like, “Should human rights considerations play any role at all in America’s foreign policy decisions?” And: “What role does America have in a place like Mali, where jihadists linked to al-Qaida are seeking to carve out a safe haven?” See the rest.

4.)Dear Chuck Hagel— If Chuck Hagel doesn’t get confirmed as secretary of defense, he can always be an advice columnist for The Daily Caller. TheDC’s Will Rahn channels Hagel for a question about whether a reader should abandon their dog for a job:

“But Bessie Mae had another lover in her life: heroin. She overdosed in the backseat of a red Oldsmobile one month before I graduated high school. It was then I realized there was nothing left for me in Nebraska. Within the year, I had joined my brother in Vietnam. Cowards abandon dogs. Cowards like Ted Cruz. You stick with that animal and you love him like I loved Bessie Mae.”

Yes, yes, you’re confused. Read the whole satirical masterpiece to understand and laugh. And TheDC Morning promises there will be more laughing than understanding.